At 225 pounds and more than 6 feet tall, he enjoyed surfing, racing motorcycles and sometimes riding his skateboard at daredevil speed down Haleakala late at night.

Nobody close to him thought that Nick Cline would fall off the edge.

But he did on April 15, at age 30, in the bedroom of his house in rural Haiku.

Officials say it was a heroin overdose.

"I knew he had taken drugs, but I didn't think it was nearly that severe, and I still don't think it was that severe of a habit," said his father, William Cline, a plumbing contractor on Maui.

"Evidently he got something that was too strong."

"It's devastated everybody, especially me. He was not only my son, but he was my best friend."

William Cline is not the only one left shocked and wondering. Maui residents are dying of drug overdoses in record numbers this year - from opiates such as heroin and cocaine and also from meth amphetamines.

"It used to be you never saw it," said Dr. John Mills, a physician in the emergency department of Maui Memorial Hospital.

"Now you're beginning to see heroin. We're definitely seeing a rise in meth amphetamines."

Fourteen people have died of drug overdoses on Maui in the past six months, compared to three last year and none in 1992. Of the 14 deaths, seven were due to heroin, one to alcohol, four to meth amphetamine and two to cocaine.

Sometimes the drug deaths also have been linked to a weak heart or a combination of drugs. But heroin on Maui is a large contributor in the deaths.

Medical observers say the number of drug-related deaths recorded would be even higher if homicides and traffic fatalities were added to the total.

"We're seeing just the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Anthony Manoukian, Maui County medical examiner. Manoukian and police suspect that the jump in heroin deaths may be caused by an increase in the potency of the drug.

"We are seeing varying purity levels, especially on the black tar heroin," said Capt. Paul Winters, in charge of the Maui Vice Division. "If you're suddenly getting something with more purity than you're accustomed to, you're going to overdose."

Physicians and law enforcement officials say first-time or occasional users are more at risk of dying than those who use heroin consistently and develop a tolerance for larger doses.

"That's the danger when you're using drugs, especially when you don't know what you're getting," said Sidney Hayakawa, agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Hawaii.

Nick Cline fit the profile of the occasional user. His girlfriend, Lisa Dixon, said he had taken heroin since he was a teen and had been trying to get off of it.

"He was trying to go through NA (Narcotics Anonymous), but I just think he never really bottomed out.

"It was too easy for him to keep going back to it. I think he always felt he could control it."

Dixon said Cline had been off of heroin for about two months.

"I'm sure his tolerance had gone down for that time," she said.

"I was totally devastated. I just couldn't believe that it happened. He was healthy and strong. It's been really hard. We made a lot os of plans. I really miss him."